Ascent to Katahdin-Top of Saddle Trail on 2024-01-22| Date: | Monday, January 22, 2024 | | Ascent Type: |  Unsuccessful - Turned Back | | Point Reached: | Katahdin - Top of Saddle Trail | | Location: | USA-Maine | | Elevation: | 4383 ft / 1335 m | | Remaining Elevation: | 885 ft / 270 m (21% left to go) | Ascent Trip Report
Summit push starting at 4:33am, temperature around 15 degrees ambient. Snowshoed from Roaring Brook Campground to Chimney Pond and then continued up the Saddle Trail for summit bid. Party consisted of Spano, Bridget, Donnie, Ryan, Cruz and myself. Conditions were terrible on Saddle Trail. There were many sections of deep snow which challenged our snowshoes, requiring multiple steps in order to pack it down and gain traction. Spano threw up and I took over breaking trail right when the trail began to steepen. There were small sections of cornice which made the ascent easier, however the inconsistency of hardened snow kept our snowshoes on our feet and crampons packed away. There were multiple sketchy areas on the climb up with questionable traction which risked falls into long gulley's. Once we reached the ridgeline we were greeted by 70+ mph sustained winds which forced us to retreat back down the path we took. Snowshoes stayed on and made for a difficult and awkward descent, snowshoes and ice axes are an uncomfortable combination to be climbing in.
Some other things of note are the lenticular clouds which were gradually forming and reforming over the mountain throughout the hike. The sunrise illuminating the snow blowing off the summit of Pamola gave it the appearance of being on fire. This year there was also enough snow and ice to afford us the opportunity to cross Lower Basin Pond and shave some time off our hike to Chimney Pond. |
| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 3353 ft / 1021 m | | Route: | Chimney Pond/Saddle Trail | | Trailhead: | Roaring Brook Campground 1030 ft / 313 m | | Quality: | 8 (on a subjective 1-10 scale) | | Route Conditions: | Road Hike, Maintained Trail, Unmaintained Trail, Snow on Ground, Snow Climb | | Gear Used: | Ice Axe, Crampons, Headlamp, Ski Poles, Snowshoes, Hut Camp | | Weather: | Cold, Extremely Windy, Partly Cloudy
70 mph gusts on ridge | | Ascent Statistics | | Time: | 4 Hours 15 Minutes | | Descent Statistics | | Time: | 3 Hours 35 Minutes | GPS Data for Ascent/Trip
 GPS Waypoints - Hover or click to see name and lat/long
Peaks:  climbed and  unclimbed by Nick Gorab
Click Here for a Full Screen Map
Note: GPS Tracks may not be accurate, and may not show the best route. Do not follow this route blindly. Conditions change frequently. Use of a GPS unit in the outdoors, even with a pre-loaded track, is no substitute for experience and good judgment. Peakbagger.com accepts NO responsibility or liability from use of this data.
Download this GPS track as a GPX file |
This page has been served 30 times since 2005-01-15.
|